Information Technology in a Global Society subject report · May 2009

May 2009 extended essay reports Page 1 © International Baccalaureate Organization 2009 ITGS Overall grade boundaries Grade: E D C B A Mark range: 0 - 7 8 - 15 16 - 22 23 - 28 29 - 36 The range and suitability of the work submitted Candidates addressed a wide range of research questions involving topics appropriate to ITGS: the impacts related to social networking, computer games, and the use of computers in particular situations ( i.e. schools, businesses). Research questions addressing the ethics of downloading entertainment material w ere also popular. Other areas chosen by candid ates included internet regulation, robotics, cy ber-terrorism and telemedicine. Only a few candidates selected topics that were inappropriately focused on an IT technology or were not ITGS-related. Candidate performance against each criterion A: research question The importance of the research question must be emphasized. The research question is one of the main factors that determines the success of an ITGS extended essay. Most research questions were stated reasonably well and received 1 mark. Very few received full marks. A „yes/no‟ question is not a suitable research question. The fact that many candidates wrote reports on topics rather than developed arguments may result from the research question being imprecise and poorly formulated. Examples of sharply focused research questions include: What are the effects of teleworking on the productivity of employees in the XXX Bank in XXX? (XXX represents a specific name or location.) How does online gaming in PC-bangs affect South Korean teenagers aged 13 to 19? How has the increased use of Face book affected the lives of students